Old Vines, New Chapter
Originally planted in 1910, the estate vineyard was until very recently stewarded by the Bilbro family—Jake Bilbro (of the Marietta family) leading the charge with humility, integrity, and an unshakable respect for the land. Recently sold to Karen DeGolia, who has a 30+ year relationship with the winery, Limerick Lane is moving on to the next, great phase in its life. These vines—head-trained, dry-farmed, and organically tended—are survivors, yielding fruit with naturally low yields and tremendous concentration. Most of what they produce is Zinfandel and field blends, with smatterings of Syrah, Carignan, and Petite Sirah woven in—true to the old California style.
The single-vineyard bottlings—Estate Zinfandel, 1910 Block, Head-Pruned Block—are all worth chasing down. But even the entry-level offerings punch way above their weight. These wines are made with purpose, intention, and zero pretense. With original plantings as old as 1910 on property, the ‘young’ vines are just about my own age, having been planted in 1987.
Limerick Lane’s style is restrained, precise, and focused. Think vibrant red and black fruit, fresh acidity, fine tannins, and a savory edge that keeps every sip alive. These are serious, age-worthy wines that also happen to be incredibly drinkable now. It bears mentioning that beginning in 2023 Ridge Vineyards will begin making a Limerick Lane bottling, and Karen has a relationship with Benchrock and uses some of their old vine grapes in a few of the Limerick Lane bottlings. With those two Zin heavy hitters approving of what Limerick Lane is doing, you know the juice has to be good. Winemaker Chris Pittenger has made stops in his career at Robert Biale, Torbreck, Williams-Selyem, and Marcassin. He uses techniques learned from each stop to create beautiful, balanced, nuanced Zinfandels that are just so eminently delicious and drinkable.
With total production of just 5000 cases across 16 different offerings, Limerick Lane does not make a lot of wine. This is new to MA and is only available in a few states. This wine is pretty special; I came in to taste these wines with my mind already made up that I would not enjoy them. Boy was I wrong. Get on this train before it becomes truly discovered and the wine disappears!
Regular Price: $59.99
NET Price: $44.98